Medford, Ore. — Medford Fire-Rescue is investigating the second human-caused grass fire in a week. Officials say both were likely caused by cigarettes in transient camps.
Crews were called to a field off of Hilton court near Biddle road around 2 Saturday morning. Someone in a neighboring motel saw the fire and called 911.
Firefighters say it began spreading into the trees when they arrived. The location leads them to believe it was started by transients.
“There’s a lot of leftover clothing and materials in the bushes where you can see that it’s pretty sure that this is probably a transient camp,” Battalion Chief Ron Nelson said.
Investigators believe the fire was likely caused by a cigarette.
On Thursday morning, fire crews responded to a field near the Sierra Pacific Mill on Jacksonville Highway for another grass fire. They believe it was also started by a cigarette near a transient camp.
All of these fires are considered suspicious, and are under investigation.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.